This application claims the priority of German patent document 103 29 439.2, filed Jul. 1, 2003 (PCT International Application No. PCT/EP2004/006951, filed Jun. 26, 2004), the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a hardtop convertible vehicle.
A convertible of the generic type with a hardtop which has three roof parts, is disclosed for example in German patent document DE 101 33 957 A1. In the open roof (top down) position, the front roof part is stowed in the trunk of the vehicle, between the central and the rear roof parts. The front roof part is raised over the central roof part by means of a corresponding lever arrangement during a stowing movement.
German patent document DE 199 62 070 A1 discloses a similar arrangement, in which the front roof part is likewise raised over the central roof part. However, in the stowed state, the front roof part lies at the top.
German patent document DE 196 42 153 A1, on the other hand, describes a motor vehicle with a retractable roof which also has three roof parts. In this case, the front roof part is folded in an articulated manner and is stowed in the trunk between the central roof part and the rear roof part. A similar folding-in of the front roof part is also described in German patent document DE 93 07 481 U1, but with the front roof part coming to lie right at the bottom.
German patent document DE 197 51 660 C1 discloses a device for stowing the roof construction of a hardtop vehicle, which includes a front roof part and a rear roof part. The rear roof part has a rear window that is pivoted relative to the rear roof part by means of a lever and a joint during the stowing movement of the two roof parts and is stowed in an opposed direction to the rear roof part. Rotation of the rear window in such a manner is also known from German patent document DE 198 07 490 C1. However, in the latter case, the rear window is merely rotated through an angle of approx. 15° and is therefore stowed essentially in the same direction as the rear roof part.
Finally, German patent document DE 101 16 709 A1 also discloses the movement of a rear window in relation to the rear roof part. However, in this case the rear roof part has an additional roof segment which likewise has to be pivoted, so that a very complicated construction and a correspondingly complicated stowing movement are required.
In all of the described roof systems with three roof parts, there is the fundamental problem that, in the open (top down) roof position, in which all of the roof parts are located in the trunk, the volume of space available in the trunk is substantially restricted.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a convertible vehicle with a hardtop with at least three roof parts, in which the hardtop requires as little space as possible when stowed in the trunk.
This and other objects and advantages are achieved by the convertible top configuration according to the invention, in which the rear window is articulated in relation to the C-pillars. The resultant pivoting of the same, causes the rear window to assume a position in which it lies with its curvature in the same direction as that of the central roof part, achieving a considerable saving of space in the region between the C-pillars of the rear roof part. Thus, substantially more space is available for luggage when the roof is in the open (top down) position.
The volume of available trunk space in the open roof position is further increased by the fact that the front roof part is stowed in a very efficient manner, either along a backrest or along a motor vehicle tank, rather than with the rear and the central roof parts one above another. The result is therefore a convertible which provides its passengers with sufficient luggage space, even in the open state of the roof.
A particular advantage of the invention can be seen in its comparatively simple construction with a correspondingly uncomplicated configuration of the components.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.